StrongHeart
by kabal1337
Summary: Braeburn and Little Strongheart have been dating for a year after the conflict between the Buffalo and the Appleloosans. When the couple earn a two week vacation in Ponyville, Strongheart sees an opportunity to learn more about the pony culture and reconnect with some old friends along the way! Rated T for sexual references and mild adult humor. Constructive criticism is great!
1. Chapter 1: Another Day

Copyright Stuff: As always, I don't own anything.

Author's Note: This is the first non-OC oriented story I've ever done. In my opinion, Little Strongheart is a really underrated character. I've noticed that there's not a lot of stories centered around her, so I decided to try my hand at writing one.

In a way, this was also brought on by a strange dream I had. I almost never remember anything about my dreams, but for whatever reason I remembered a few details about this one. What I remember is very vague, but I know that Strongheart and Lady Rainicorn (Adventure Time) were there, and I think Han Solo was there too. No, I don't do any drugs, it just happened. I probably wouldn't be writing this story if it wasn't for that dream.

Keep in mind, I try my best to stay true to her personality as it's seen in the show, but the one episode she appears in doesn't give me much of a personality to work with. In case you couldn't already tell, this story is mostly going to be centered on Little Strongheart. There might be a chapter or two focused on Braeburn (I think he's a great character), but for the most part it's focused on her. So, I hope all you enjoy this story, and please leave a review. (End of Author's Note)

"Strongheart? Are ya' awake? We're almost there." Little Strongheart heard her boyfriend's voice, half-opened her eyes and yawned loudly. "Ugh..." She rubbed her dark-brown eyes and rolled over on the bed to face him.

"Good morning, Brae." The buffalo got up out of bed and stood on the train's floor. The constant sound of the machine's engine still bothered her, but by this point she was used to it.

Braeburn set down a coffee mug on their cart's table. "Good mornin'. Ah got ya some coffee, ah thought it might wake ya' up." The stallion leaned in and kissed Strongheart on the mouth.

Strongheart closed her eyes and savored the few seconds her lips were on his. "Thank you." She said once their mouths were separated. She took the mug in a hoof and sipped, suppressing a face from the bitter flavor. Her view shifted towards Braeburn.

In the time since the small conflict between Appleloosa and the Buffalo Tribe, Braeburn had gotten a tiny bit more muscular and grown a small stubble on his chin. He was one of the ponies charged with delivering pies and other apple-related goods to the Buffalo Tribe, so he was expected to do much running and lifting. It was a very small difference, but enough for Strongheart to find it attractive.

"Ah'm gonna go find out when we're arrivin', alright?"

"Alright."

Braeburn headed out towards the conductor's room. Strongheart sighed and dumped the rest of her coffee in a nearby potted plant. She pulled out a bag from underneath the bed, unzipped it and sat up.

The buffalo rummaged through the bag before pulling out a mirror to check her appearance. Just like Braeburn, a year and a couple months didn't do much to her. Female buffalo were naturally smaller than their male counterparts, but Strongheart was still a runt compared to the rest of her tribe. She'd grown out her curly orange-brownish hair to about shoulder length, but still tried to keep it in place with her headband.

The second object she took out was a framed photo of her and Braeburn standing near the Appleloosan capital building. Strongheart smiled and a warm fuzziness built up in her chest.

Soon after the conflict in Appleloosa was solved, Strongheart and Braeburn became close friends. Increased interaction between the two different cultures meant that they had many more opportunities to see each other. It was only after about a month of friendship that Braeburn finally asked if she wanted to be more than just friends, and it was an offer that she gladly accepted.

"The train should be stoppin' any minute now." Braeburn trotted back into their cart. The stallion noticed her putting something away in her bag. "Ya' didn't forget anything, did ya'?"

"No, I was just checking."

The train slowed down before coming to a full halt at the Ponyville train station. Strongheart looked out the window and gulped. Everything just looked so... Different, compared to what she was used to. Lots of colors, and lots of ponies. The buffalo was excited to learn more about her boyfriend's culture and get to see some old friends, but she couldn't help feeling a bit intimidated at the same time.

The couple grabbed their belongings and headed outside. Strongheart smiled when she saw some familiar faces waiting across from them.

Applejack was standing alone with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. The lone Pegasus was hovering and talking to the orange mare about something, while the pink one was just hopping up and down in place with a wide grin.

"Cuz!" Braeburn dropped his bags and ran full-gallop towards his cousin, who followed suit. It wasn't long before they were both embracing each other.

"Howdy Brae!" Applejack said, squeezing her cousin tightly.

"Howdy cuz! How long has it been? Two months?"

Applejack released her forelegs from the stallion, who still kept his wrapped around her. "Three months, actually. Uh, Brae, ya' can let meh' go now."

Strongheart giggled and watched before suddenly being locked in a hug of her own.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe we haven't seen each other in a year! That means *gasp* YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO ONE OF MY PARTIES IN A YEAR! We're gonna have to fix that! Right, Strongheart?"

Strongheart blushed and shifted awkwardly in the pink pony's strong embrace. "Um, yes, that's sounds great... Um, it's, uh... I'm sorry, what's your name, again?"

A shocked expression overtook Pinkie's face before she suddenly disengaged her hug. The earth pony sat on her haunches, tears brimming at her eyes. "You... You don't remember me?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." The buffalo immediately felt bad. "It's... I know it's something-Pie- Ah!"

"CLOSE ENOUGH!"

"Hey, Pinkie Pie! Quit hoggin' her up for yourself, will ya'? I've been DYING to see her!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie and (with quite a bit of effort) pulled her away. "Sorry about that, Pinkie gets easily excited." She helped Strongheart up off the ground. "So, long time no see. You know, we never did finish that race." She reminded, smirking.

Strongheart brushed off her shoulder. "Rainbow Dash, if you are really that eager to lose, then why didn't you just fly to Appleloosa?" She replied with a similar smirk.

Rainbow got up in the buffalo's face until their muzzle's were nearly touching. "It. is. On!"

"Hey, Girls! C'mon, we're leavin'!" Applejack called out, who was trotting away with the others.

The Pegasus smiled. "I guess we'll have to settle this some other time."

"I will be waiting, Rainbow Dash."

As Strongheart walked along the road to Sweet Apple Acre's, she scanned every detail. The streets here were even more crowded than Appleloosa, and she saw a lot more technology than what she got to see at Appleloosa. The buffalo was especially interested in the "personal computer", as Applejack called it in one of her letters. However, if there was one thing she could appreciate here, it was the mild weather.

Finally, the five arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack held the door open to the Apple Family house. "Granny Smith's already got some fritter's in the oven fer' breakfast."

Strongheart smiled. She loved apple-related food, and the whole atmosphere of the home reminded her of Appleloosa.

"Hm?" She heard what sounded like a bunch of small hooves running towards her. Without warning, three energetic fillies circled her. One was a Pegasus with an orange-ish coat and a purple mane, the other one a unicorn with a white coat and curly multicolored mane, and finally the last one was an earth pony with a cream coat and a red mane topped off with a bow. All of them lacked cutie marks.

"Ah ain't nevah' seen a buffalo before!"

"I, um..."

"I REALLY like your mane!"

"Well, t-thank you..."

"Is it true that you almost beat Rainbow Dash in a race? That's amazing!"

"Uh, sort of..."

Braeburn stepped in. "C'mon lil' fillies, give'er some space." He said jokingly. "So, what kinda schemes are ya' comin' up with next to get yer' cutie marks?"

"We're tryin' ta' be Cutie Mark Crusaders movie critics!" Applebloom answered, taking out a copy of Transformares 3.

"Well, that sure sounds like fun! But dont'cha wanna have breakfast first?"

"That's okay, we already ate!" Sweetie Belle answered as the trio ran outside.

Braeburn laughed. "Those three are just lil' bundles of energy, ain't they?"

Strongheart nodded. "They sure seemed energetic."

"Eeyup." A deep voice answered from behind them.

She nearly gasped when she saw him. To say this stallion was big would be an understatement. He was huge! Possibly big enough to rival a full-grown buffalo in size. She smiled awkwardly and waved a hoof. "Hello."

"Howdy."

Braeburn realized what was going on and draped a foreleg around his girlfriend. "Strongheart, this here is mah' cousin Big Macintosh, but you can just call'em Big Mac. And Big Mac, this purty little lady here is Little Strongheart, but you can just call'er Strongheart."

"Um, hi, Big Mac." Strongheart greeted, just as awkwardly as before.

"Howdy."

"Breakfast's ready!" Applejack called out from the kitchen.

"Great, I'm starvin'!" Braeburn quipped.

"Eeyup."

"Y-yeah, me too..."

(One awkward breakfast later)

'That could have gone better' Little Strongheart thought as she Braeburn walked out of the Apple Family's house. She was still attempting to block out the memory of the conversation granny smith had attempted to start.

Applejack followed them and ran outside. "Hey, do y'all want me ta' set up the guest room?"

Strongheart opened her mouth to speak, but the stallion answered for her. "No need, cuz'. We were plannin' on bookin' a hotel room for our stay."

"And why would ya'- Oh, ah get it." The apple farmer smiled slyly. "Have fun, you two!" She winked at the couple before heading back inside.

Braeburn turned towards his girlfriend. "So, where do ya' wanna head to first?"

Author's Note: I rewatched the episode that has Little Strongheart (or at least the parts that had her in it), and I guess she sort of gave off shy, maybe awkward vibes for her personality. What do you think? This was more of an introduction chapter than anything else, just to get the story started. In the next chapter, Strongheart is going to explore some of Ponyville on her own and meet up with the rest of the mane six. So, I hope you all like this little intro chapter, and if you didn't then I would greatly appreciate some constructive criticism to hopefully make this a more enjoyable read. Also, I can't begin to describe with words how awesome reviews are. Look at it this way: More reviews equals a happy writer, and a happy writer equals more chapters! So if you want more of this story, feedback is great!


	2. Chapter 2: Old friends, new friends

Copyright Stuff: As always, I don't own anything.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone that was kind enough to leave a review. I'll try to update this at least once a week, since this is going to be my main story to work on. As always, reviews are very much appreciated, and I hope you all enjoy. I rewatched Over a Barrel in full so I could get a better feel for the characters that I'm focusing on here, so hopefully I do a good job with characterization.

Braeburn led Strongheart over to Sugarcube Corner. The two were in the middle of the stallion's tour of Ponyville, a tour he was eager to give. So far, the buffalo got to see little bits of Ponyville in quick succession, but she wanted a more in-depth look at things.

"And this here is Ponyville's bakery, Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie Pie works here, and it's owned by the Cake-"

"Um, Brae?" Strongheart put a hoof on his shoulder.

"Yes, mah' love?"

"I really appreciate the tour and all, but I would like to explore Ponyville on my own."

Braeburn frowned slightly before his face turned to a neutral expression. "Oh, well, alright. Ah guess ah could cut the tour short." He brushed at the ground with a hoof.

She smiled. "Great! Why don't you go and get our room ready? I promise I'll be back in a few hours." The buffalo leaned in and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek before turning around and leaving.

"Have fun!" He called out with just a slight hint of weakness in his voice.

"I'll try!" She said back before walking into Sugarcube Corner. It was less out of interest for the bakery itself, but more out of it's appearance. The very top was shaped like a pink cupcake with frosting, and the rest of it was like a gingerbread house. The confectionary was also decorated with a wide spectrum of colors that helped draw her in.

Inside, there were a few ponies seated already at the tables. An older, slightly chubby mare with a bright blue coat and a two-toned red mane done up in a toothpaste hairstyle noticed the buffalo walking in. The visitor surprised her at first, but she smiled and trotted over to the newcomer. "Hello dearie, what can I do for you?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Hi, I'm just looking for a snack, I've never eaten here before..." She looked up at the menu, almost overwhelmed by the variety of cakes, pies and other sweets. "I guess I'll have the chocolate cake?"

"Great choice. Are you new here, dearie? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Yes, I am new. My name's Little Strongheart, me and my boyfriend, Braeburn, are here on vacation."

"Oh, you're dating Braeburn? That's nice, he's such a sweet stallion." Mrs. Cake grabbed a slice of cake from behind the counter and set it down on the table. "If you need anything else, just ask."

"Certainly." She smiled and was about to take a bite.

"HI STRONGHEART!"

"AH!" The buffalo shrieked and fell off her seat. She looked up to see the widely grinning Pinkie Pie looking down at her.

Mrs. Cake ran back into the room, but stopped once she what happened. "Pinkie, could you please try to be a little more careful not to scare the guests?"

"It's alright Mrs. Cake, me and Strongheart are friends!" Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Strongheart's torso and nuzzled her. "Isn't that right?" She asked, to whom the buffalo simply nodded.

"...Okay." Mrs. Cake trotted back behind the counter, deciding to just let Pinkie be Pinkie.

"Pinkie, could you please let go?" Strongheart asked, who was still in Pinkie's deathgrip.

"Okie Dokey Lokey!" Pinkie Pie sat down at the table as Strongheart did the same. The buffalo grabbed a fork and started eating when she heard the bakery's front doors open.

A very familiar unicorn mare trotted in. Her coat was purple, with a violet mane with a pink stripe. It took a few seconds before Strongheart recognized her.

Twilight looked over at the pair and smiled. "Hi Strongheart."

"Hello Twilight, it's great to see you again."

The unicorn levitated over a chair and took a seat. "Likewise. I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you at the train station, there were some things from Princess Celestia I needed to take care of."

"I understand."

"So, how's everything in Appleloosa?"

"The settlers and my tribe are getting along very well, there haven't been any conflicts in the last year."

"That's fantastic. It really goes to show how much coming to a fair compromise can make a difference."

"Yes, indeed."

"Hey, where'd Pinkie Pie go?" Twilight asked?

"Hm?" Strongheart looked next to her to see that Pinkie's seat was empty. "That's odd, I didn't see her leave, it's like she just disappeared. And when I was walking in here, she just came out of nowhere."

The unicorn scratched her chin. "When it comes to anything involving Pinkie Pie, it's best to just not question it."

"If you say so..."

"HI TWILIGHT!" Pinkie appeared from underneath the table, presenting an open box of strawberry-frosted chocolate cupcakes.

"AH!" Twilight shrieked, but managed to keep hold on herself. "I really should be used to that by now. Thanks, Pinkie." A purple aura covered the box and it floated above Twilight's head and she headed out. "I'll see you later, Strongheart."

...

Little Strongheart exited Sugarcube Corner. As nice as Pinkie was, she could really get grating after awhile.

She turned left and took a new path towards a tall, brightly colored establishment she could see nearby. The buffalo reached it and read the sign. "Carousel Boutique. Open for business." Shrugging, she opened the front doors.

"Hm?" Rarity turned around in her chair. The fashionable mare was operating the sewing machine on a new dress. "Hello, dahling! It sure has been some time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" She turned off the sowing machine and got up. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure."

"Great. How's Braeburn been doing lately?" She poured some fresh tea from the kettle and handed Strongheart a mug.

The buffalo took a sip and set down the cup. "He's doing great. Braeburn got promoted last week, so he's been bringing in a lot more bits."

"That's wonderful, dahling..." A sly smile appeared on her face. "What's he like?"

"Well, he hasn't really changed much at all, he's still a funny-"

"I mean, how is he in the haystack?" The unicorn elaborated, sitting across from her.

"In the haystack?" Strongheart put a hoof to her chin. "I've seen him lift haystacks, but never seen him in one, so I do not know."

"...I mean, how good is he in the sack?"

"What sack?"

"Is he good at sex!?" Rarity finally blurted out, putting a hoof to her mouth in embarrassment afterwords.

Strongheart's ears flopped down and a bright red blush blossomed over her cheeks. "W-why would you want to know that?"

Rarity paused. "Um... That's just something friends talk about, sometimes..."

"They do?"

"Nevermind, let's just drop that subject, dahling." She sipped her tea and examined the buffalo girl.

Some of the red vanished from Strongheart's cheeks, although she was still visibly blushing. "I really like your dresses." She said, switching the subject.

"Why thank you. You simply MUST allow me to make you a dress one of these days. I've never had the chance to work with someone of such a unique body type as yours."

"Of course, Rarity."

"Fabulous! How about tomorrow?"

"Sound's great."

"Before you leave, could you allow me to do something with that mane of yours?"

"Like what?"

(twenty-five minutes later)

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, dahling..." Rarity continued to run her comb through Strongheart's hair. The guest was sitting down, facing a mirror with a few pins and clips in her curly hair. "I don't mean to offend, but how often do you comb your hair?"

"Um, not very often?"

"I figured... Alright... And done!" Rarity undid all of the clips and Strongheart's mane fell down. Instead of mostly standing up with a single poof near the front and just barely reaching her shoulders, her hair fell down cleanly, reaching slightly below the shoulders while still retaining it's curls.

The buffalo ran a hoof through her hair and smiled. "Wow, thank you Rarity, this is amazing!"

"Don't mention it, dahling. I can guarantee Braeburn won't be able to keep his hooves off you."

...

Strongheart trotted down a Ponyville road with her new hairdo. She noticed a few ponies giving her strange looks, but she tried her best to ignore them. Deciding to rest her legs, she sat down at a bench.

"Hey, you're a funny-looking mare." A Pegasus mare with a grey coat and cross-eyed yellow eyes said, suddenly flying in front of her.

Another mare ran up to her. This one was an earth pony, with a light olive-green coat and a brilliant orange mane, her cutie mark was three carrots. "Derpy, that's not cool! Say you're sorry!"

Derpy's ears flopped down. "But-"

"Say it!"

Derpy looked at the ground dejectedly. "I'm sorry."

"Good." The mare turned towards Strongheart. "I'm so sorry for that..." She turned back towards Derpy. "Derpy, why don't you go and get some muffins while we talk?"

"Muffins!" The mare instantly perked up and dashed out of view.

"Again, I'm sorry for that." The earth pony took a seat next to her.

"That's okay, it's not a problem."

"Great... But I've actually never seen you around before, are you new here?"

"I'm here on vacation with my boyfriend, Braeburn. The name's Strongheart."

"I'm Carrot Top." Carrot Top held out her hoof, which the buffalo promptly shook.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Carrot Top. And that Pegasus was Derpy, yes?"

The mare sighed. "Yeah, that was Derpy. Between you and me, she's not exactly the brightest bulb in the socket."

"Hm?"

"She's, well..." Carrot lightly tapped her head.

"Oh..."

"The thing is, she's kind of like a sister to me, and in a way I feel obligated to keep track of her."

"Why?"

"Me and Derpy have been best friend's since foalhood. I was pretty much her only friend at school, so I guess we both got a bit attached to each other, especially on Derpy's side."

"I see."

"I have to go and make sure Derpy hasn't gotten lost again, but it was nice talking to you. How long are you staying here?" Carrot Top asked, getting up off the bench.

"Two weeks."

"Great, we should totally talk again sometime!" She called back, heading to find her friend.

Strongheart smiled, feeling like she'd just made her first new friend in Ponyville. She looked up and noticed that it was starting to get a bit late. Securing her saddlebag, the buffalo got up and headed to her hotel room.

...

"Braeburn?" After checking the main lobby to make sure Braeburn had gotten the room, she headed upstairs and knocked on the door.

Of course, greeting the buffalo was the stallion of her dreams. "Howdy Strongheart, how'd everythin' go? Did'ya have fun?"

"It was fun, I met some new ponies and saw some old friends. Ponyville's so different from Appleloosa, but I like it."

Braeburn laid down on his side on the bed. "Ah'm glad ta' hear that, sugarcube."

"Yes... But I'm even more glad to see you..." Strongheart wrapped her forelegs around his neck lightly and pushed her lips against his.

"Mmmm..." Braeburn felt himself getting hot and pulled her deeper into the kiss.

The buffalo pulled away and climbed on top of him, putting a hoof to his chest and slowly unzipping his leather vest. They continued making out, and it didn't take long for things to escalate as their bodies started to grind and their kissing intensified.

...

With a groan, Braeburn rolled off of Strongheart onto his back. They were both sweaty, panting, and satisfied.

Strongheart yawned and looked down over the edge of the bed, reaching down and grabbing her bag. She unzipped the bag and pulled out a blank journal and a pen. She sat up and began writing.

"Mm? Strongheart? Watcha' writin'?"

"Nothing important, Brae." She patted him on the head.

The stallion yawned. "Okay..."

After making sure she was happy with what was written down, she put away the journal and snuggled up with her boyfriend. They wrapped their forelegs around each other, and she nuzzled her head into his chest and closed her eyes.

"Ah love ya' Strongheart, more than anyone or anything else in Equestria."

"I love you too, Braeburn."

Author's Note: Yeah, I didn't include Fluttershy in this one. I wanted to, but I couldn't think of a good place to put her in. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this and please be sure to review, favorite, and alert if you liked it. And if you didn't enjoy this chapter, then some constructive criticism would be very-much appreciated.


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